


Birth of the Reaper

by SBlev92



Series: SBlev92's Overwatch Fanon [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, F/M, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mild Language, Team, Tragedy, Violence, War, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8638471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SBlev92/pseuds/SBlev92
Summary: The Omnic Crisis is over, and Overwatch is becoming less and less appealing in the eyes of the public. One of the primary reasons for this is the morally questionable actions of Blackwatch and its commander, Gabriel Reyes. Allegations of torture and human rights violations have began to reach the public thanks to him, and now Overwatch commander Jack Morrison is left under mounting pressure by the United Nations to rid Overwatch of his best friend, despite vowing never to do so. With an investigation of the organization pending, Jack is given little choice but to comply. However he will soon learn that Gabriel's wrath is not to be underestimated, and will yield horrible consequences for them all, in this detailed look into Overwatch's turbulent and tragic downfall.





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Overwatch_ , its characters, events, or settings. They all belong to Blizzard Entertainment. This story was intended for entertainment purposes only on the free Archive of Our Own website, I will not be uploading or publishing it otherwise. I also acknowledge that I will see no form of profit from this work whatsoever.**

## Chapter One

It was midnight at a Talon base in Germany. The wilderness surrounding the base echoed with the rustling wind and the cries of animals, and cloaked in darkness, a team of killers was approaching. A squadron of Blackwatch operatives gathered at the top of a valley and looked down at the base below; the team was comprised of seven rank-and-file soldiers, their leader Gabriel Reyes, and his lieutenant Jesse McCree.

“Alright men, you remember our target?” Gabriel said to his troops. “Dr. Klaus Lehmann, former neurosurgeon-turned-international criminal. Our intel shows several photos of him reprogramming the brains of captured Omnics. We don’t know what purpose this serves but if we can capture and interrogate him, we may prove once and for all that Talon had a hand in the Omnic Crisis.”

“Usual procedure, gentlemen.” McCree added. “We can’t leave no witnesses, no one to rat on us to the higher-ups. So kill everyone inside _but_ the target.”

“And if he resists, sir?” A soldier asked.

McCree turned to him and, chewing down on his cigar, said “Then damn-near-kill him.”

“Alright men, enough talk.” Gabriel ordered. “Let’s move!” The Blackwatch team moved under the cover of night towards the base. Once against the wall, they grappled to its top and picked off the patrols swiftly and efficiently, none even knew what hit them. Well, except for the last one. The final guard went to shoot upon discovering McCree and two other Blackwatch agents, but the cowboy had different plans.

“Not so fast there, buckaroo.” He said, lobbing a flashbang at the guard. As his body froze and his vision became disoriented, McCree withdrew his revolver and blasted a bullet right through the guard’s forehead. With the outer patrols disposed of, Blackwatch finally breached the compound itself and began indiscriminately firing on the personnel inside. Scientists and workers, who were moving unconscious Omnics throughout the facility, dropped their work and ran in fear, only to be gunned down.

Talon security was swift to respond and returned fire. Their machine guns rained down on the team, who ran for cover behind a stack of large storage containers and continued shooting. Gabriel took out five guards with blasts from his twin shotguns before being clipped in the arm by one of the soldiers on the walkway above. Angered, he withdrew a canister from his belt and lobbed it at the attackers. The canister burst open and the men were coated in a gaseous acid, casing their bodies to decay as they howled in agony.

“Gabe, you alright?” McCree asked. “I saw you get hit!”

“Yeah,” Gabriel replied. “I think it just broke the skin.” The battle raged for several minutes, however it seemed like for every Talon operative the team put down, two more would show up to replace him. The team held its breath as bullets rang off of the metal behind them, definitively outnumbered.

“What do we do? We’re pinned down!” A panicked agent asked, not daring to stick his head around the corner.

“Well I s’pose I could take care of this little mess.” McCree declared casually. “If asked properly, that is.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and huffed in irritation. He hated that his lieutenant thought this schtick was so damn funny, especially at a time like this. But still he had no choice but to ask, “Jesse, what time is it?”

“Well I’m glad you asked.” He responded, tipping his hat and rising to his feet. “It’s High Noon.” The activation phrase triggered the microchip in McCree’s eye, which locked onto the heads of every Talon soldier in the room, marking them with a large red dot in McCree’s vision. With ease, he blasted each dot in succession, picking off each and every soldier in the room. Once the area was cleared, McCree blew the smoke off his revolver and spun it into his holster.

“Show off.” Gabriel grunted as he and the other agents stood up and proceeded towards the medical bay. After kicking down the door to the operating room and storming in, they found Klaus Lehmann working on an Omnic on an operating table. They ordered the doctor to his knees at gunpoint and one soldier knocked him out with a blow to the head from the butt of his rifle.

“Congratulations gentlemen. Mission accomplished.” Gabriel said. The team then noticed a stirring noise from within the room. They looked to the operating table to see the Omnic awakening. The doctor hadn’t had time to alter his brain, as evidenced by his passive, human demeanor.

“Where am I?” the Omnic asked. “Who are you people?”

“What should we do with him, sir?” a soldier asked Gabriel, who hesitated a moment. “Sir, orders?”

After a brief moment, Gabriel exhaled and spoke up. “Jesse, what did you tell me when we first got here?”

“I said…no witnesses.” McCree answered reluctantly. “Kill everyone but the target.” 

“Yep.” Gabriel said, raising a shotgun to the Omnic’s face.

“Wait, what are you-?” the terrified robot tried to ask before its head blew apart on the table and its body fell limp.

“Bring him, let’s get out of here.” Gabriel said, motioning to the doctor as he stormed out quickly. A soldier scooped up Klaus and carried him out as the rest of the team followed. The last one out was McCree, whose eyes were still fixed on the dead Omnic. He hated that Blackwatch had to do this to maintain its secrecy; he signed on to kill bad guys, not innocents.

“Sorry pardner.” He finally said, tipping his hat to the Omnic before leaving to catch up with his squad.


	2. Chapter 2

## Chapter Two

Blackwatch extracted Klaus to Watchpoint: Switzerland, Overwatch’s primary base of operations. During the trip, they ensured that he stay both unconscious and blindfolded for the trip, so that he could not connect Blackwatch with its parent organization. The team hurriedly brought him to the basement area, where their primary operations took place, and tied him to a chair in a small concrete room that was completely empty save for a small workbench, upon which various tools and torture devices rested. Gabriel allowed McCree to awaken Klaus and perform the first round of interrogation, while he waited outside. Since the room itself was soundproof, he couldn’t hear exactly what was going on in there, but the door remained shut for what must’ve been a full forty-five minutes before McCree finally emerged.

“He’s a tough egg to crack, I tell ya.” He said, wiping the blood off his glove. “I’ve damn near beat him senseless, but he won’t tell me nothin’.”

“Allow me.” Gabriel said, relieving his right-hand man. He stepped into the interrogation room and closed the door behind him. McCree wasn’t exaggerating: Klaus looked like he’d taken a sledgehammer to the face. Both of his eyes were black, his nose was bloodied, and several teeth had been knocked out. Of course, Gabriel already knew this wouldn’t be enough.

“Tagging out already?” Klaus mocked, spitting blood onto the floor. “But ve vere having so much fun, ze cowboy and I!”

“Well then you’re gonna love me.” Reyes replied. “You know, for a German guy, you sure speak good English.”

“Bah, ze only good thing about vorking vit you pig-headed Americans!” Klaus said. “Talon sure loves employing zem. Probably because zey’re so brutish!”

“Alright, enough stalling.” Gabriel said. “I want to know everything about Talon.”

“Like vat, exactly?”

“Well, for one thing, I know that you aren’t working alone. Your technology and numbers are beyond the capacity of simple terrorists.” Gabriel said. “You’re working _for_ someone, taking orders from them, and I want to know who.”

“Vouldn’t you?” Klaus replied. “Vell zey aren’t ready for you to know zem yet.”

“Last time I’m gonna ask nicely.” Gabriel said, getting in his face. “Who are Talon’s employers?!”

“Death to ze enemies of progress!” Klaus shouted the Talon credo and began laughing madly.

“Alright, I’m done playing around.” Reyes said. He grabbed a power drill from the workbench and plugged it in, and raised it threateningly above Klaus’s knee. “WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!?”

“Death to ze enemies of-AHHHH!” Klaus began to repeat the creed when Gabriel fired up the drill and plunged it into his knee, cutting him off.

“I know Talon had a hand in the Omnic Crisis.” Reyes shouted. “What was the extent of their involvement?”

“Death to ze enemies of progress!” Klaus defiantly replied, in spite of the pain.

“Why were you reprogramming Omnics?”

“Death to ze enemies of progress!”

“What does your credo mean? What do you mean by ‘progress’?!”

“DEATH TO ZE ENEMIES OF PROGRESS!” Klaus shouted, smiling. Reyes was fed up at this point; removing the drill and throwing it to the ground, he stormed to the bench and grabbed a meat cleaver. He raised it above his head to bring it down on Klaus’ fingers when the German shouted something that froze him in his tracks.

“Jack Morrison!” he said.

“What?” Gabriel asked, astounded. “What did you say?”

“Bring me Jack Morrison, und I vill tell him everything!”

Gabriel kneeled down to his eye-level. “What makes you think we have _any_ affiliation with him?”

“Oh don’t play me for a fool.” Klaus laughed. “I know zat you are vorking for Overvatch! Ze odd costumes, your persistence to know about Talon, it vasn’t zat hard to figure out. I’m smarter zan you give me credit for, Gabriel Reyes! I know things. Und if you bring me Jack Morrison, I vill share zem.”

Knowing Klaus wouldn’t buy any of their usual cover-stories, and that he had no choice but to give into his demands, Gabriel stormed out of the room in defeat. The last thing he wanted to do was call in Jack. But it may have been the only way to get anywhere with this guy.

“Roland.” He shouted to a Blackwatch soldier down the hall. “Watch him. He _will_ not leave that room, understood?”

“Yes sir.” He responded as Gabriel walked away to summon his friend. Roland entered the room and closed the door behind him. He slowly approached Klaus, looked him square in the eye, and withdrew his combat knife. Roland quickly cut the ropes binding his left hand to the chair, and placed the knife in his hand.

“Death to the enemies of progress.” Roland said, giving the salute of Talon, which was to place three fingers across one’s shoulder, as to resemble hawk or eagle talons. He then rammed the back of his head against the concrete wall and fell to the ground unconscious, while the doctor quickly escaped his bonds, thanks to the traitor’s help.


	3. Chapter 3

## Chapter Three

Within minutes, Commander Jack Morrison was inbound to the Swiss Watchpoint on a transport ship. Like Gabriel, he too wanted to know anything and everything about Talon, though he didn’t often approve of his comrade’s methods of getting it. He didn’t like the idea that Blackwatch had to exist or do the things it did, however he was willing to tolerate it so long as it served its purpose. Still, he feared one day that something would go wrong and cost the organization big time.

“Thanks for coming with me.” He said to Ana Amari, who was on the transport next to him. “Whenever Gabe calls me, I know to expect a headache and potential PR nightmare. It’s good to have someone by my side for that.”

“You know I’m with you through anything, Jack.” She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly something in his duffle bag caught her eye: a blue and black leather sleeve.

“What’s that?” she asked. Jack unzipped the bag to reveal a blue, white, and black leather jacket with the number 76 in large red-and-yellow letters written on the back. “I’ve never seen that jacket before. It’s very…colorful.”

“It was actually my dad’s.” Jack said. “When he was younger, he was part of a motorcycle gang called The Mad 76, and this was the jacket they gave him. When his pot-belly grew too big for it, he gave it to me.”

“Your dad was in a _motorcycle_ gang?!” Ana asked in disbelief. 

“Yeah, weird right? Who would’ve imagined kind old Farmer Morrison used to live the wild life?” Jack replied. Ana could tell Jack’s eyes were glassing up talking about his father. He still remembered him being drafted into the Army when the Omnic crisis started, he remembered fighting alongside him, he remembered the swarm of rabid robots that…

“I am sorry about your father.” Ana consoled, placing a hand on his knee. “The military should never have drafted him, he was in no condition to fight.”

“It’s alright.” Jack exhaled. “He died a hero, protecting the ones he loved. He wouldn’t have wanted to have gone out any other way. Anyway, how’s Fareeha doing?”

“Oh, she’s fine.” Ana replied. “She’s turned into a very strong, very confident young lady. I just know she has a bright future ahead of her, she joined the military in Egypt, you know.”

“Good, I’m proud of her.”

“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to come visit her more often.” Ana remarked. “She asks about you all the time.”

“Ana, you know this job keeps me busy around the clock.” Jack said.

“No man should be too busy to spend time with his own daughter.” Ana replied.

Jack took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Honey, I promise you. As soon as I get the chance, I will come see our little girl. You know there’s nowhere I’d rather be than home with the two of you, seeing her all grown up. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.” Finally, the transport docked at the Watchpoint hanger and the two emerged. Reyes was quick to greet Jack with a firm handshake and forced smile.

“Nice to see you again, old friend.” He gritted through his teeth. Gabriel never quite got over being snubbed for promotion to commander of Overwatch, and since that moment, he’d always harbored a bit of jealousy towards his friend. However, he still kept the peace for the sake of their friendship.

“Feeling’s mutual.” Jack replied. “So what kind of trouble did you get us into this time?”

“Actually, I need your help extracting information from a prisoner.” Reyes said. “He asked for you by name when our…usual interrogation methods failed.”

Jack gave him a stern glare. “Please don’t tell me you used torture _again_.”

“Oh don’t get on your anti-torture soapbox again, Jack.” Gabriel sighed.

“Damn it Reyes, I _told_ you not to do that anymore!” Jack said “That’s not the kind of thing Overwatch needs to be doing, especially now.”

“It’s the only thing these animals respond to.” Gabriel said. “All they know is violence and pain, it’s the only way to get through to them. Do you think they’re really going to give up their secrets, their very _dangerous_ secrets, by us asking nicely? Besides, I’d rather see one terrorist suffer to death than see an entire city full of innocent people blown up by one of their bombs or ravaged by an army of reprogrammed Omnics! Look Jack, I know you had soaring ideals for this place, and at one time I did too, but you have to wake up and face reality: we aren’t comic book superheroes fighting mustache-twirling bad guys. We’re _soldiers_ , soldiers who are trying to keep the world safe from very dangerous terrorists, and sometimes to do that you have to get your hands dirty. You don’t have to like it, but that’s just the way it is.”

“That’s not even what I’m concerned about.” Jack explained. “Our reputation is in the crapper already, and the last thing this organization needs is another PR nightmare.”

“That’s why we’re keeping all Blackwatch operations under strict secrecy.” Gabriel responded.

“Are you?” Ana interjected. “What about all the conspiracy theories surrounding our operations already? How do you suppose they got out? What about the pending UN investigation into our treatment of prisoners? How do you suppose _that_ happened? Are you really as ‘secretive’ as you claim to be?”

“No offense Captain Amari, but no one was talking to you.” Gabriel snapped. 

“Hey.” Jack stared down Gabriel, silently daring him to talk to her like that again. “Why don’t you just let me talk to this guy so we can get the hell out of here?” The three of them proceeded to the lower levels of the base; meanwhile nearby, Torbjörn was putting the finishing touches on his new addition to Mercy’s suit.

“Alright Angela, de Resurrection Module is fully installed.” He said proudly. “With dis module, you vill be able to bring any of yer fallen comrades back from de dead! Er, providin’ dey died within de last two minutes o’ course.”

“Wow, this is amazing, Torbjörn!” Mercy said, admiring her gloves, which is where he seemed to make the most modifications. “How exactly do I activate it?”

“Vell, dere’s actually a very specific set of actions you have to follow.” Torbjörn explained. “First, raise yer hand into de air. Dis allows the scanners in yer glove to check for nearby corpses. Den, as with yer Caduceus Staff, you hafta concentrate hard on de task at hand. Doing so vill power up de brainwave scanner in yer halo, vich gives charge to de Module.”

“Okay.” Mercy said, taking mental notes. “Is that all I have to do?”

“Actually dere’s vun more step, and it’s de most important.” He said. “De module requires an activation phrase to function, and it must be said loud and clear.”

“What phrase is that?” Mercy asked.

“Heroes, never, die.” Torbjörn answered.

“Heroes never die?”

“Dat’s de vun!” He answered.

“Okay, I think I got it.” Mercy said. “But, I don’t suppose there’s any way to…practice?” Torbjörn looked around, and spotted a pigeon flying in from the hanger, and getting uncomfortably close to one of his turrets. He pulled out his rivet gun and shot it right in the chest, causing it to fall out of the sky and land right at Mercy’s feet.

“Torbjörn!” she gasped.

“Hey, you said you vanted to practice!”

Mercy rolled her eyes and then closed them. She raised her right hand into the air and could immediately feel the warm heat of the scanner radiate off her glove. She took a deep breath and concentrated, thinking about nothing but the bird coming back to life until she heard the faint hum of her halo click on.

“Heroes never die!” she yelled. Suddenly, a beam of light surrounded the pigeon; the gunshot wound in its chest closed within a matter of seconds and it was raised upright onto its feet. Finally, the light subsided and the bird opened its eyes and promptly flew away (but not before reaching-and crapping on-Torbjörn’s turret, much to his irritation).

“Wow, this is…this is incredible!” Mercy said, completely awestruck by her new ability. “I didn’t even think technology like this was possible! How’d you manage to create it?”

“Haha! Vell, as you can imagine, bringing de dead back to life is no easy task. First, I had to find a vey to isolate de residual energy of de deceased, dat’s de scanner’s job. Next, de module takes dat and…” As Mercy listened to her friend’s explanation, she started thinking about all of the situations in which she may have to use it. She also hoped that she could remain mentally composed enough to even be _able_ to use it. Bringing a dead bird to life is one thing, but to see your dear friends dead in front of you is quite another. The one flaw in the Valkyrie suits is the fact that they were charged by brain waves and therefore required emotional composure. This was a clever method incorporated by the Swiss military into all their weaponry, to ensure that the soldiers kept a level head in battle. Cruel though it may seem, the technology appeared to be effective as Switzerland was one of the most successful countries at repelling the Omnics. Still, Angela sometimes found it difficult to keep her emotions in check, but she needed to find a way to overcome this crutch, as she would be finding herself in need of the module sooner than expected.


	4. Chapter 4

## Chapter Four

Jack, Gabriel, and Ana arrived in the under-workings of Watchpoint; Jack always hated going down there, the dimly-lit hallways always reminded him of a dungeon, not the type of vibe he wanted his organization to give off. Jack tolerated Blackwatch’s existence and actions, but he always liked to pretend they didn’t exist. He always wanted to “forget” about what goes on in the facility’s lower levels. They finally reached the interrogation room, only to find Klaus gone and Roland unconscious on the ground, completely naked except his underwear.

“What the hell!?” Gabriel exclaimed, turning on his communicator. “All units report to the interrogation room immediately!” Before long, McCree and the rest of the Blackwatch team arrived in the room, while Reaper shook Roland awake and asked what happened.

“I…I dunno.” Roland lied. “I was, watching him like you asked and I heard a noise outside and went to investigate.”

“You _left_ the room?” Gabriel asked angrily.

“No, no I just peeked my head out the door.” Roland said. “And when I turned around-the guy must’ve been some escape artist-when I turned around, he’d gotten free of his restraints. I tried to subdue him but he lunged at me and smashed my head against the wall. That’s the last thing I remember.”

“What happened to your uniform?” Gabriel asked.

“Klaus he, he must’ve stolen my clothes to help his escape!” Roland exclaimed in fake shock.

“Huh, bastard walked right out the front door.” McCree stated.

“Everyone fan out and find him!” Gabriel ordered. “Search the facility and a mile of surrounding wilderness. You have shoot-on-sight orders, we aren’t taking any more chances with this guy!” The soldiers dispersed immediately, while Jack, beyond furious, cornered Gabriel and got in his face.

“This is _exactly_ what I was talking about.” Jack said. “Now he’s out there and he knows of our operations and where our headquarters is. All because you just _had_ to bring him here and torture him.”

“What, you’re seriously blaming me for this?” Gabriel said. “He got loose, it happens even in secure prisons! My men will find him.” Jack, too angry for words, stormed out. Before leaving in similar fashion, Ana turned to him.

“You’d better pray they do.” She said. Gabriel was left in the room with Roland. He wanted nothing more but to withdraw his sidearm and put a bullet in the man’s head for letting him escape, but this emotional reaction was overpowered by the logic he just used against Jack: it was a screw-up that could’ve happened to anyone.

“Roland.” He finally barked. “Get a damn uniform on and join your squad in the search.” With that, Reyes departed from the room. Roland stood up and finally unclenched his hand, in which rested his radio, which Klaus intentionally left on his undercover comrade.

“Sir, Phase 1 is complete.” Roland spoke into the device. “Lehmann is free and should be going to the media, as ordered.”

“Good work Roland.” A slightly gravelly male voice responded. “Let me know when Phase 2 is underway.”

“Yes sir.” Roland responded, lowering the radio.

  


  


  


Unfortunately, the combined forces of Overwatch and Blackwatch were unable to locate Klaus and the teams were forced to withdraw back to headquarters, with each respective leader hopeless as to what to do. Their fears turned to sheer horror when they were alerted to a breaking news story that had just been broadcast.

“And our next top story: ‘Overwatch Out of Control?’ A recent accusation by an anonymous German citizen seems to suggest that the controversial organization may be hiding more than we think. Field reporter Jamie Parker has the latest.”

A female voice took over the report. “They’ve been called real-life superheroes, and for good reason too: over its twenty-five-year history, Overwatch has saved thousands of lives and employed what many believe to be hundreds of agents, each with their own unique talent or ‘gift’ to contribute to the group’s heroic actions. They were also the ones who helped end the dreaded Omnic Crisis, the ramifications of which are still being felt today. However, lately the group has come under fire for a series of allegations, ranging from squandering resources, to systematically failing assignments, to even human rights violations. It is this latter accusation that is the focus of our news story tonight, as a new claim has come forward from an anonymous citizen of Munich, Germany, who says he was captured by Overwatch, interrogated for a crime he didn’t commit, and even _tortured_.”

The camera cut to an interview room with a shadowy profile that the team recognized instantly as Klaus, who now spoke native German, while Jamie translated. “ ‘They stormed into my home and started yelling at me to get on the ground. When I asked what was going on, one of them hit me in the face with his gun, knocking me out. I awoke in a small concrete room tied to a chair, with one of the Overwatch agents staring back at me. He tried to accuse me of working for the terrorist group Talon, and of reprogramming Omnics to serve the group. When I denied these claims, he began punching me in the face repeatedly, demanding I tell him the truth. The beatings broke my nose and damaged one of my eyes so bad, I may not be able to see out of it again.’”

Gabriel fumed at the claims. “Both your eyes work fine you lying sack of-!”

“Shh!” Jack cut him off.

Jamie continued the story. “The man claims that, once the beating was done, the squadron’s leader entered the room and violently drilled a hole into his knee, a wound from which he still feels pain and has difficulty walking because of. One may ask, how could Overwatch, an organization that has projected itself as being progressive and benevolent, be capable of such violent and barbaric behavior? Well according to some witnesses and conspiracy theorists, there is a secretive division of the group known as ‘Blackwatch’ that carries out the organization’s darker, more questionable missions and activities. It is said that they are to blame for torture allegations against Overwatch. Of course, investigations into the group have not revealed anything resembling Blackwatch, however it should be noted that certain floors of every Watchpoint are labeled as ‘off limits to all but essential personnel’, so who knows what they’re doing behind those closed doors? For Atlas World News, I’m Jamie Parker.”

“Jack, I…”Gabriel started.

“Get out of my sight.” Jack huffed, placing a hand on his forehead in anguish. Gabriel bowed his head and walked out of the room, leaving his friend to process what had just been shown. This is exactly what he was afraid of with Blackwatch: its shady practices eventually being leaked to the public and endangering Overwatch’s very existence. Before he could contemplate the ramifications too heavily, the phone rang.

“This is Watchpoint: Switzerland, you’re speaking to acting Overwatch Commander Jack Morrison.” Jack spoke.

“I just saw the news, Jack.” A familiar voice said on the other end. The voice in question belonged to United Nations Under-Secretary-Genreal Edward Jenner. Jenner took over the position after the passing of former U.S.G. Gabrielle Adawe. As such, he was Overwatch’s representative in the U.N., and the recipient of the fallout when the group got itself into trouble. “I trust you’re watching it too?”

“Ed look, I can explain.”

“What’s there to explain?” Jenner replied. “It’s all right there on the TV.”

“That man is a Talon agent who’s deliberately exaggerating what happened.” Jack defended.

“It doesn’t matter, all the public sees is that Overwatch abducted and tortured a presumably innocent man. They don’t know what you know and it’s doubtful they’ll believe you anyway.” Jenner said. “Look Jack, I can’t keep covering for you guys every time Blackwatch flies off the handle and does something risky. My subordinates can only destroy evidence and bribe witnesses for so long before the higher-ups begin to notice. Something’s gotta give.”

“What are you implying, Ed?” Jack asked, worried. “Whatever changes we have to make in order to avoid a PR fallout, I’m willing to do it.”

“See, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Jenner said. “I think you and I both know what the problematic factor is here. Or should I say, _who_ it is.”

“Gabriel? I mean, I know he’s a bit harsh but-”

“A _bit_ harsh?” Jenner interrupted. “Jack, every alleged human rights violation my team covered up is because of him and his team. Let’s not mince words here, the man’s clearly unhinged, not to mention dangerous. If you want Overwatch to survive, I’m afraid you’ll have to cut him loose, him _and_ Blackwatch.”

“Cut him loose?” Jack protested. “But Gabe’s my best friend, he was there since the very beginning. I can’t just get rid of him.”

“You don’t have a choice.” Ed replied. “My boss, Secretary-General Tanvi Chadha will be conducting a thorough investigation into Watchpoint: Switzerland in 24 hours. If she and her team find any evidence of Blackwatch’s existence, then Overwatch will be shut down and you and Reyes will be criminally prosecuted. You weren’t supposed to know this, it was supposed to be a surprise investigation, but being your friend, I thought I’d give you a heads-up. Get rid of Reyes however you deem necessary and wipe the station clean of anything remotely related to Blackwatch, or you’re finished. Goodbye Morrison.”


	5. Chapter 5

## Chapter Five

“I can’t believe this.” Jack said, burying his face in his hands in despair.

“What’s the matter?” Ana asked him.

“Ed, he said I have to discharge Reyes and do away with Blackwatch.”

“Gabriel’s your best friend. He’ll be devastated.” Ana said.

“I know, I’m not sure what to-” Jack started.

“You have to do it though.” Ana interrupted. “Jack, I know you and Gabriel go way back, but you have to think about what’s best for you, what’s best for Overwatch. Reyes’ actions are clearly going to get us all killed one day, you’ve known this for some time. You have to put aside sentiment and be a leader, do what would be best for the people around you.”

“So, you’re telling to just, get rid of Gabe? After all these years?” Jack asked.

“You’re the commander, I can’t _tell_ you to do anything.” Ana said. “I’m just saying, you really should put your duty to your people above old friendships. For everyone’s good.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him. He put his hand over hers and smiled back. Jack was glad he could always rely on the love of his life to guide him in the right direction, to help him with difficult decisions. She was right, he had to take action for the benefit of the organization. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it had to be done.

  


  


  


Jack called Gabriel and the rest of the Blackwatch team into the Watchpoint’s briefing room for “important matters.” It took them a while to trickle in, but eventually the rank-and-file walked in and took seats on either side of the long table, on the far end of which Jack sat, Ana to his right. Eventually McCree entered and set down near the other end and finally, Gabriel himself entered, clearly still upset from their last encounter. He took a seat at the other end of the table and glared at Jack; for the first time, Jack had felt a bit scared of Reyes, he felt as though the man could leap across the table at any moment and place a shotgun in his face.

“Thank you for joining me.” Jack started, his voice slightly shaky, Gabriel still staring through his soul with that look of utter contempt. “As you all may know, word has leaked yet again of Blackwatch’s existence and questionable activities. This will mark the thirteenth allegation of human rights violations to hit our organization since its inception. What we know of the incident is irrelevant, the facts that the general public have received will paint us as monsters. Therefore, to preserve the existence of Overwatch, I have been advised by the United Nations to take immediate action.”

“Calm down, Hoss.” Jack heard McCree whisper to Gabriel, who was biting his lip and shaking his head.

“Effective…effective immediately.” Jack forced out of his mouth. “I am hereby disbanding Blackwatch, and…relieving Deputy Commander Gabriel Reyes of his duty.” The announcement provoked stunned looks and chatter from the rank-and-file, now concerned that they were out of a job. McCree looked to the ground, disappointed but still understanding the decision. Reyes just sat there, continuing to scowl at Jack for what seemed like minutes.

“You damn snake.” He finally spat out. “How could you do this to me?”

“I wasn’t given a choice,” Jack defended. “Ed told me either you had to go, or all of Overwatch would be shut down. And we both would be arrested.”

“We made a pact when you and I formed Blackwatch, that if I got found out, you’d go down with me! You’d stand by me until the end!” Gabriel said.

“Things are different now, all of Overwatch is at risk here. I have to think of-”

“Think of _what_!?” Gabriel interrupted. “Your ‘people’? Your ‘honor’? How much should I bet that you’re just thinking about yourself? How you don’t want to spend life in prison, so you’ll just cut me loose to save your own skin!? I’ve always been like a brother to you, I should be top priority.”

“Well you’re not!” Jack shouted, standing up. He let out a long sigh and calmed down. “When I made that pact with you…I didn’t think of the ramifications that would have, I didn’t realize the people it would impact. I’m sorry if you feel betrayed, I understand it, but this is the way it has to be. Guards will be along soon to escort you out. If you ever come back, I’ll consider you a trespasser and an enemy…and take action accordingly.”

He then turned and left the room, with Ana following. A long, awkward silence filled the briefing room; every Blackwatch operative wanted to get up and leave but feared that if any so much as flinched, Gabriel would blow their skulls open with a shotgun. Even McCree dared not say a word to his boss, who remained seated at the table, staring down, both fists trembling with fury.

“Well men, he betrayed us.” Gabriel finally choked out. “As I knew he would. I’m sure you all know what happens now: I’m initiating Operation Judas.”

Just hearing the name of the order shocked McCree to the bone. Was Gabriel really _that_ far gone? He’d seen him do some pretty messed up things, but he couldn’t allow that. He had to find a way to warn Jack, the first opportunity he could. He just needed a second to slip away from his unstable commander.

“I know you all have some reservations about what we have to do.” Gabriel said. “But allow me to make the decision easy for you: if I see any of you break rank or have second thoughts during the Operation, I will kill you where you stand, is that clear?” Everyone in the room openly (and smartly) agreed with Reyes.

“You thought you could just take what’s mine, Jack?” Reyes muttered to himself. “Well if I can’t have Overwatch, then I will bury it.” Several armed Overwatch soldiers showed up, confiscated the team’s weapons, and escorted them from the premises.

“That’s alright.” Gabriel thought to himself. “Let them kick us out now, it’s better that you’re all completely caught off guard. Wouldn’t want you stopping what’s to come before it even starts.”


	6. Chapter 6

## Chapter Six

Jack and Ana had unexpectedly been called away to Watchpoint: Gibraltar by Winston for a matter of high importance. He did, however, make a note to return to Switzerland both to ensure Gabriel had left _and_ to be present on the base when the U.N. arrived. Upon landing, the two exited the transport and proceeded to the Science Lab, where Winston was waiting for them.

“So, you found her _alive_!?” Jack asked, excited.

“Not only that, she was the only survivor.” Winston said. “The rest of the crew had all frozen to death.”

“Can I see her? I want to talk to her.” Ana said.

“Well, unfortunately she won’t be doing a lot of talking. She’s still in suspended animation within the cryostasis chamber.” Winston gestured to the ice-covered, human-sized pod in the middle of the room, around which a group of scientists were gathered, studying and tinkering. “The chambers were locked on a timer, which malfunctioned when the storm hit, and we believe the override key is, ironically, in her pocket. The only reason we know she’s alive is because the vital screens detect a faint heartbeat.”

“You will be able to get her out of there, won’t you?” Jack asked.

“We hope.” Winston replied. “We’ve been trying to come up with a way to open the pod without causing Dr. Zhou any harm, but so far we haven’t even been able to _crack_ the thing.”

Jack approached the pod and placed his hand on the glass. Dr. Zhou was not only one of Overwatch’s lead scientists, but also a dear friend of his and Ana’s. They were glad to see she wasn’t dead after all, but still, her condition was less than desirable. Through the glass, he could very faintly see her bespectacled face, eyes closed and mouth fixed into what looked like a faint smile. She looked as though she were merely sleeping; she looked peaceful.

Jack lowered his head. “Dr. Zhou…Mei…I know Winston is going to get you out of there. You’re going to be alright.”

“I promise Jack, I won’t rest until our scientist is with us again.” Winston stated.

“I trust you, Winston.” Jack said. “Especially after you saved the life of our Slipstream pilot, I have the utmost confidence in your ability to rescue our agents.”

“I have more news that may interest you.” Winston said. “Once the doctor is revived, I’m having my paperwork pushed through for a transfer to the Switzerland base. I’ll be taking on some of your duties.”

Jack paused for a moment, not believing what he just heard. “Does that mean that I…?”

“You’ll be able to take home leave.” Winston smiled. “And see your daughter!”

“Did you hear that, honey?” Jack said, embracing Ana. “I get to go home with you soon, I can see our Fareeha again!” The couple was ecstatic to hear the news that they would finally be a family again, so much so that they stayed at Gibraltar longer than expected, celebrating with some of their friends there, assisting Winston with what he needed, and having some…alone time together in Commander Morrison’s quarters. Jack and Ana’s happiness pushed out every other emotion and thought in their minds, including the pending U.N. inspection.

  


  


  


Back in Switzerland, under the cover of night, Gabriel and his men returned to the Watchpoint and entered through a small cave nearby. The cave connected to a secret tunnel that led into the basement; this was a secret passage that even Jack didn’t know about. Once inside, the team fully equipped themselves with their best body armor and weaponry and was prepared to move on their commander’s orders. Though, Gabriel couldn’t help but notice McCree wasn’t there, as unbeknownst to him, he’d managed to slip away unnoticed to warn Jack of the impending attack.

“Where the hell is Jesse? He had very clear orders! Ah, the hell with him, let’s just do this. Now, don’t think about what you’re doing.” Gabriel told them. “Don’t think about how you know these people or your history with them, just push it out and follow orders. I understand this is difficult, but Jack has it coming, he’s had it coming for a long time. Alright men, move out!” The Blackwatch team hurried through the corridors towards the upper levels, with Roland taking up the rear.

“Sir, Phase 2 has been initiated.” He whispered into his radio. “Set an ETA of four hours, watch for the light show.” Roland discreetly planted a small explosive charge on the wall and rushed to catch up with the others, placing several more along the walls as he went.

  


  


  


Meanwhile in Gibraltar, Jack and Ana were sleeping peacefully in Jack’s quarters. Truthfully Jack hadn’t fallen asleep quite yet, his mind going in too many directions, asking too many questions. Would Winston be able to handle the stress of commanding Watchpoint Switzerland? Would he be able to revive Mei? Would Fareeha even want to see her father again after all these years? Would the U.N. inspection turn up anything incriminating? The inspection!

“Oh crap!” Jack said, sitting up, and causing Ana to jar awake. “We have to get back to Switzerland, Chadha’s gonna be there in two hours!” As the two scrambled to suit up, Jack received a call from his video communicator; it was McCree, and he appeared to be standing in the security office with a terrified look on his face.

“Jack, it’s Jesse McCree. Look, I know I’m the last person you probably wanna take advice from, but you need ta’ get back to Switzerland ASAP.” He said. “And bring as many soldiers as ya’ can.”

“Why, what’s going on?” Jack asked, looking at Ana, concerned.

“It’s Reyes, he madder than a rattlesnake in a cactus patch!” McCree said. “I slipped away as soon as I could so’s I could warn you. He’s stormin’ through the base killin’ everyone loyal to you!”

“What?” Jack said, a jolt of terror rushing through him.

“See for yerself.” McCree held the camera up to one of the security monitors. It showed Blackwatch soldiers forcing Overwatch administrators on their knees in front of Reyes.

“I’m the new commander of Overwatch.” He said. “Will you follow my lead?”

“Burn in Hell, you monster.” One of the administrators shouted. “Our loyalty is with Commander Morrison!” Gabriel shrugged and gestured to his men, who fired on the hostages. Reyes then walked towards the camera, and got as close to it as possible.

“You seeing all of this, Jack?” he said. “This is all on you. If you’d just played fair, they’d still be alive. You wanna stop me? You wanna save what’s left of your pathetic task force? Come find me then, and we’ll settle this like men.” He aimed one of his shotguns at the camera and fired, ending the feed. Stunned, Jack quickly thanked McCree and told him he’d be there, and then hung up. He sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands, devastated.

“This is all my fault.” Jack said. “I should’ve had him arrested, I never should’ve let him go free! But he was my best friend, I wanted to give him one last chance. Now look what happened.”

“Jack, this isn’t on you.” Ana said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Reyes is a madman, he’s the one responsible for this, not you. But we are going to stop him.”

“No, _I_ am.” Jack said, standing up. “You’re going to stay here.”

“Yeah, and my rifle’s going to shoot medicine one day!” Ana said. “Got any more tall tales for me?”

“Ana, I’m not having this argument with you. I don’t…I don’t want to lose you.”

Ana took Jack’s hand and looked into his eyes, which were full of hurt and fear. She smiled and said, “We’re partners, we weather conflict _together_ , no matter what. Besides, I’d rather die by your side now, than die in fifty years _without_ you.”

Jack smiled as a single tear rolled down his cheek. “Alright baby, you win. Let’s go kick his ass, together.”

“Just a moment,” Ana said, reaching for her phone. “I need to call an old friend first.”

The phone rang three times before a loud German voice answered on the other line. “Hello?”

“Reinhardt, it’s Ana.”

“Ah, Captain Amari! How are you doing, my dear!?” Reinhardt shouted into the phone, causing Ana to pull her ear away from it.

“Just fine. Listen, I know you’ve retired, but we need your help in Switzerland.” Ana said. “Gabriel’s gone insane and is attacking the Watchpoint. What do you say you bring your special brand of justice to help fight him?”

“Ah, one last glorious battle against evil!” Reinhardt shouted. “Count me in! T’will be a battle to remember! I vill meet you zere!” Reinhardt was right about one thing: Overwatch would indeed remember the battle, but unfortunately the memories of it wouldn’t be quite as fond as they would hope.


	7. Chapter 7

## Chapter Seven

A short time before Jack’s arrival, a U.N. transport ship docked in the Watchpoint’s hangar and Secretary-General Tanvi Chadha stepped off, along with her four bodyguards and her secretary. She huffed at the fact that Commander Morrison (or anyone) was not there to greet her, especially with the trouble they were in.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” Tanvi said. “This cold air makes me sick.” The six of them walked through the doors to the entrance lobby and were immediately floored by the bodies strewn about the room. The terrified party turned to evacuate when they were met with a team of five armed Blackwatch soldiers, who immediately shot and killed the bodyguards and secretary, and ordered Tanvi on her knees.

“Sir, we’ve captured the Secretary-General.” One of them radioed. “Orders?”

“No witnesses.” Gabriel replied. “And no prisoners either. Shoot her.”

“Yes sir.” The soldier aimed his gun at Tanvi’s head, prepared to fire.

“I’ll have you know, that killing a member of the United Nations is a capital offense!” A terrified Tanvi threatened.

“Trust me sweetheart, we’ve already committed plenty of those today.” The soldier responded. He started to squeeze the trigger, but then fell to the ground, unconscious. Baffled, the other soldiers turned to look, when suddenly another fell too, but this time the men saw Torbjörn whack their comrade in the head with his hammer and fired upon him. Torbjörn dodged and threw down a collapsible turret, distracting the troops while he grabbed Tanvi by the hand.

“Come on, dis way!” he said, hurrying through the base with her, while reinforcements gave chase.

“Torbjörn, what is going on here!?” Tanvi asked.

“Vell, ve’re under attack for one ting!” he sarcastically replied.

“Those are _Overwatch_ soldiers shooting at us!” she said.

“Vell, it’s kinda hard to explain. Let’s just say ve’re in a bit of a civil var right now.” Torbjörn said. “Angela, are you still with de other survivors?”

“Yes.” Mercy replied over her radio. “I’m holding down a position in Common Area A.”

“Alright, I’m moving ta yer position wit’ an extra guest.” Torbjörn said. The pair ran towards the common area, where a pistol-wielding Mercy greeted them and shoed them in. They were almost ambushed by two Blackwatch soldiers coming from the other direction, but Mercy picked them both off with her gun. Inside the common area was a group of scared Overwatch scientists and administrators, and about five or six armed guards. In the middle of the room, one of Torbjörn’s turrets panned back and forth.

“Are you alright, Miss Chadha?” Mercy asked.

“Well, besides almost being gunned down while being dragged through a hallway by a Russian dwarf, I’m fine.”

“I’m Svedish.” Torbjörn grunted, irritated that _no one_ ever gets his nationality correct.

“Whatever. I want to know what’s going on right now.” Tanvi demanded. “Why is Blackwatch shooting up the place?”

“It’s Reyes, ma’am.” Mercy explained. “He’s gone mad. Jack attempted to remove him because of the allegations against him and he took it as a betrayal.”

“Reyes should’ve been locked in a maximum security prison a long time ago.” Tanvi said. “Why was he allowed to be set free?” Before there could be an answer, Jack contacted the heroes.

“Torbjörn, Angie, this is Commander Morrison. Do you read me?”

“Yes Commander.” Torbjörn replied. “Ve are in de common area with Tanvi and some other survivors.”

“Listen, I need the two of you to meet us in the foyer, as our official rendezvous point.” Jack said. “I need all of our best soldiers together for this one.”

“But sir, what about the survivors?” Mercy asked.

“Are there guards with them?”

“Yes, and a turret as well.” Mercy replied.

“They’ll be fine then, just lock the doors behind them.” Jack said. “Now proceed as ordered.”

“Wait, you’re not just _leaving_ me here, are you?” Tanvi asked, worried.

“Sorry, gotta follow orders!” Torbjörn shrugged as he and Mercy hurried out, locking the door as they left.

“Hey! Get back here you two!” Tanvi shouted. “Do you know who I am!?”

“ _Everyone_ knows who you are.” A nearby administrator snapped. “You remind us of it every time you come here.” Tanvi sneered at the admin and slumped onto a bed, pouting.

  


  


  


Meanwhile Gabriel, unaware that Jack had left for Gibraltar, had torn apart almost the entire base searching for him but could not find him anywhere. Frustrated, he stormed into the security room and had begun cycling through the cameras located throughout the facility, but none showed any sign of Jack. That is, until he spotted an Overwatch ship docking in the hangar, and knew exactly who was on it.

“So, you snuck out on me, did you? Well, your mistake was coming back.” Reyes stood up and stormed towards the entrance. Meanwhile, Jack, Ana, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, Mercy, and a small army of Overwatch troops had gathered together in the foyer, prepared to mobilize.

“Okay everyone, we’re going to stick together and drive out this threat.” Jack said. “We’ll do a clean sweep of the base; kill any Blackwatch operative you see, but Reyes, do not engage. Let _me_ deal with him. Now move out!” The team moved through the facility, taking out any Blackwatch soldiers they found and freeing any hostages still alive. They moved quickly and efficiently, like the well-oiled machine Jack had trained them to be. Finally, they reached the main control room, and spotted Reyes at the other end, with a large battalion of troops.

“Well, you got my message apparently. The noble commander returned to defeat his former friend and save the day.” Gabriel said. “How heroic.”

“Gabe, stop this.” Jack said, aiming his gun at Reyes. “It’s over, now lay down your weapons.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Not a chance, Jack. Not until you feel the sting of betrayal I felt. You promised to stand by me until the end, but then when the heat became too much for you, you just tossed me out on my ass to save yours. Overwatch should’ve been mine from the start anyway, and you knew it when they offered you the position! But did you say anything? No. You just took the job and made me play second banana.”

“Reyes, none of that is true.” Jack said. “I didn’t betray you, the U.N. gave me no choice, they were going to take us all down. And Overwatch was made mine fair and square. I earned control of the organization through my efforts in battle.”

“Really? Is that what they told you?” Gabriel snapped back. “Poor Jack Morrison, the man who had power ‘forced’ upon him, the man who was ‘threatened’ into getting rid of someone he never liked from the start. You are no friend of mine, Jack. And if I can’t have this place, then I’m going to burn it to the ground before your eyes, and then I’m gonna kill you.”

“Gabe please, I’m begging you, lay down your arms.” Jack said, placing his finger on the trigger. “I don’t want to have to do this.”

“Maybe not, but I do.” Gabriel tumbled forward and blasted at Jack, who rolled out of the way and returned fire. The armies on both sides erupted into gunfire, tearing the already wrecked room apart. Ana had managed to reached the top of a scaffolding and was picking off as many enemies as she could; Jack was hunched behind some debris, scanning the crowd for Reyes, who had managed to lose Jack in the chaos; Torbjörn had erected several collapsible turrets about the room, which were struggling to hold their own against the mob.

Across the room, Mercy was doing an admirable job killing Blackwatch soldiers with her pistol, but a stray bullet knocked it out of her hands. Defenseless, she backed into a corner as enemy troops prepared to open fire. But seeing his friend in peril, Reinhardt hurried in front of her and blocked the hail of gunfire with his shield.

“Angie, stay behind me!” he shouted. “I vill deal with zese rats!”

“Hammer down!” Reinhardt yelled as he raised his hammer and slammed it on the floor as hard as he could. The tremor from the impact knocked the Blackwatch troops off their feet, allowing Reinhardt to charge forward, pushing them out the window to their deaths.

“Thanks Reinhardt.” Mercy said as Reinhardt pulled her onto her feet and handed her her weapon.

“Anything for you, my friend.” He said. “Now, let’s crush zem!” The two shot and hammered away at enemies left and right, blazing through the battle with the others.

Reyes was concealed in the crowd, picking off Overwatch agents with his shotguns before they had time to react; as the adrenaline surged within him, his mind raced with his motivation for fighting: his hatred for Jack. It drove him to fight with more fervor and viciousness as he scoured the battling mob for the commander until finally, he flew into a full-blown fury.

“Die! Die! Die!” he cried, firing his guns in every direction wildly, killing both enemy troops as well as some of his own. It was now that Jack had seen just how insane his friend had become, and how he had to put Gabriel down before he killed anyone else. Jack rushed into battle, shooting his way towards Gabriel, until he finally reached him and went to shoot. Gabriel saw his hesitation though, laughed, and threw down his shotguns.

“Go ahead, do it.” Reyes dared. “Come on, Jack. You know there’s no prison in the world that can hold me. Do what you know needs to be done.” Jack wanted deeply to pull the trigger, but just couldn’t. He’d never killed someone close to him like this and the combination of both terror and anger overwhelmed him and left him trembling.

“See Jack? This is why I should’ve been the leader.” Reyes mocked. “You’re weak, you’re a coward. I mean, after all I’ve done, what more motivation could you possibly need? Well, I guess I could always do this.” He withdrew an acid grenade and lobbed it at Ana’s perch. The wood dissolved and the scaffolding collapsed, bringing Ana down with it and sending her to the floor screaming. Jack locked onto her body, unsure if she were dead or unconscious but fearing for the former, and then all of his pent up energy was released. He turned and frantically fired at Gabriel, who immediately grabbed the barrel of the gun and forced it out of Jack’s hands.

He hit Jack with the barrel of his own gun, tackled him to the ground and began punching him in the face. Jack threw Gabriel off of him and hooked him several times in the face, breaking his nose and knocking out several teeth. The two beat each other senseless as the death toll around them rose. The room was almost cleared out, save for Mercy, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, a handful of rank-and-file troops on both sides, and of course, the two quarreling commanders. Gabriel had managed to get the upper hand and was on top of Jack, both hands wrapped around his throat and squeezing tightly, when he noticed someone familiar approach to his right. Gabe turned and saw McCree, standing in a doorway a few feet away, aiming his revolver at the two.

“Jesse, there you are. Better late than never, I guess!” Gabriel said, pulling Jack up into a headlock and holding the hair off his forehead. “Here, I’ll let you finish the job. Go ahead, right between the eyes.” McCree hesitated, pulled back the hammer, and fired. The bullet hit Gabriel in the shoulder, forcing him to release Jack and kneel down in pain.

“Ahh! You idiot, you missed!” Gabriel shouted.

“No, I didn’t.” McCree said, holstering his weapon and helping Jack to his feet.

“Why, McCree?” Gabriel demanded.

“Cuz I’ve seen enough of yer ways to know that you ain’t the kind of leader I wanna follow.” He explained. “I signed on to be a hero, not a murderer who guns down his own.”

“You backstabbing motherf-”

“He isn’t the only traitor amongst your ranks, Reyes.” Roland shouted from across the room, placing three fingers across his chest in the Talon salute. “Death to the enemies of progress!”

None of them saw until too late that he was holding a detonator; Roland pressed the button and all of the small charges he had been planting throughout the base went off, sending the entire facility up in a fiery explosion. No one in the building, including our heroes, had time to react before the flames engulfed them and buried them in rubble, as multiple Talon ships quickly approached.


	8. Chapter 8

## Chapter Eight

Partially shielded from the blast by Reinhardt, Mercy managed to survive the explosion. Disoriented, she scrambled to crawl out from under his body and some debris from the ceiling, which fell on the two of them. She stood up and looked around in horror at the mass of charred steel and marble that used to be the Watchpoint, not to mention the burnt corpses of her friends, some of which were beyond recognition. The sight of those she cared for lying lifeless before her overwhelmed Mercy, causing her to break down in tears.

“A…Angie.” A weak voice choked near her. She turned to see Torbjörn laying a few feet from her, badly burned and barely clinging to life. “De Resurrection Module…you have to use it…it is…our only…hope.” Forcing out these last words, his head fell limp and the light of life left his eyes.

“Okay, okay.” Mercy said, attempting to compose herself and clear her mind. She raised a trembling hand into the air and felt the faint heat of the module scan the nearby bodies. She attempted to force the various emotions from her mind and concentrate solely on her friends coming back to life. This was a challenge and she knew she only had precious few minutes to save them, but finally managed to have a clear enough head to trigger the low hum of her halo. Finally, she shouted the activation phrase with all of her might.

“HEROES NEVER DIE!!!” Mercy screamed desperately. Multiple bright lights shone around her, and she saw the bodies of her friends begin to rise from the rubble, their tissue and clothing restoring before her very eyes. One by one, the Overwatch heroes and soldiers were fully restored; Mercy tried to prevent her joy from clouding her mind and disrupting her brainwaves, and she was confident in her composure…until she saw Reyes.

Gabriel had been right next to one of the charges when it went off, and so his body was completely destroyed. Because of this, it had to be reconstructed from almost nothing, and when Mercy saw his emaciated, almost skeletal form, it frightened her so much that her brainwaves were disrupted and the module failed. However, Gabriel had been brought back to life at this point, and his body was restored just enough to allow him to live. He attempted to scramble to his feet with difficulty.

“Oh my God, Gabe!” Jack said, clambering down the rubble to attempt to assist him. Before Jack could reach him, however, the Talon ships arrived and began firing on the heroes.

“Talon!” he called, firing back at the closest ship. “Fall back!”

“But what about…?” Mercy started.

“Angela, we have to go now!” Jack said, the caliber fire from the ships splattering the ground around them.

“There are others, I have to save them.”

Jack grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. “Angela! We have to get out of here, or we’re all gonna die!” Reluctantly, Mercy followed the others to a lightly damaged transport ship nearby. As the ship took off, Gabriel futilely attempted to crawl after them.

“Jack! Angie! Don’t leave me here!” he yelled, before falling to the ground, all of his strength quickly depleted due to his lack of muscle. The last thing he saw was a Talon ship landing directly next to him before all went black.

On the transport, the remaining members of Overwatch looked down at the rubble and smoke, all of them in despair at the loss of their friends as well as their home. Mercy was in stunned silence, guilty that she couldn’t save more people with her gift, and the horrifying image of Reyes still burned in her mind.

“How could zis happen to us?” Reinhardt asked.

“Because, because we aren’t comic book superheroes, we’re soldiers.” Jack said, echoing Gabriel’s earlier statement. “And sometimes soldiers die. Sometimes, soldiers lose. This is the end of Overwatch, once word of this incident reaches the public, the organization will be shut down, and I’ll be made a criminal.”

“What do you mean?” Ana asked. “This was an attack on _us_ , we had nothing to do with it!”

“Doesn’t matter, the Secretary General of the United Nations was killed in the blast, when she was presumptively under our care, and that’s not something they’ll be able to forgive.” Jack said. “Besides, it’s all-too-likely that some evidence exists among the rubble showing that we, that _I_ , couldn’t control our most dangerous asset, and that my negligence and lack of foresight are what caused this horrible disaster.” Jack said.

“So, what do we do now?” McCree asked.

“You all need to continue fighting the good fight.” Jack explained. “Continue to resist Talon and uncover their master plan, whatever it might be. Work in secrecy as independent heroes, but continue to keep in touch with one another. As for me, I have to disappear, that’s why I’ve programmed the ship to drop me off at Dorado, Mexico. Now, you’re all immune from the law as you were simply taking orders, but as your leader, I’ll be hunted worldwide for this. It’s best if the public believes I died in the explosion.”

“Jack, does this mean I’ll never see you again?” a concerned Ana asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, to which he responded by pulling her into a long, tearful kiss.

“We’ll never truly be apart, as long as we remember our love for one another.” He said with a faint smile. “Besides, I’m sure one day we’ll be able to meet again. Oh, and tell Fareeha that Daddy loves her, and he _will_ see her again soon.”

“Jack, if you’re gonna disappear, you’ll need to take on a new identity, wear a disguise perhaps.” McCree suggested.

“Yeah, that’s right. But the question is, what?” Jack looked around the ship for inspiration, and happened to notice his father’s Mad 76 jacket strewn on the floor, having left it so many days ago. That gave him an idea, as did the Tactical Visor mask on a shelf above the seats.

“Yeah, yeah that’ll work.” Jack said as the ship flew away from the Watchpoint to disperse the heroes at separate parts of the world, where they would work in secret for the good of mankind until that day when or if Overwatch was recalled, and they would unite once again.

  


  


  


When Gabriel came to, he was instantly blinded by bright light all around him. As his vision cleared, he saw that he was in a large hospital room at some unknown location. Disoriented, he raised one of his hands to touch his head, and noticed that his hand was now covered in black armor ending in clawed fingers. In fact, his entire body was adorned in a deep black cloaked suit and armor, and mysterious black smoke was swirling around him.

“Well, you’re finally awake. I was worried our efforts were for nothing.” A man said in front of him. Gabriel raised his head to see an intimidating figure standing at the foot of the slab he was laying on. The man looked to be about in his fifties, had graying-brown hair, and was dressed from the neck down in bright orange body armor, all except for his right arm, which was golden and had spikes jutting from the shoulder. His arm ended in what looked like a large, ornate gauntlet.

Despite the man’s eccentric attire, the most memorable thing about him was his face. He looked like he’d been put through the ringer; scars absolutely littered his complexion, one of which went through his left eye, rendering it visibly useless. His nose looked oddly shaped, as though it had actually been ripped off at one point and reattached. Gabriel wasn’t sure what had happened to this guy, but he looked like he had either seen serious combat, or had been mauled by some sort of wild animal.

“Where am I?” Gabriel asked.

“You’re safe.” The man responded. “We found you clinging to life in that rubble and restored you to the best of our abilities, but our restorative technology has come only so far. You’ll notice this same technology has given you a host of new abilities that’ll better allow you to serve your purpose to us.”

“What do you mean ‘my purpose’?” Gabriel asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” the man turned around. “We want you to work for Talon. We needed someone with a vast knowledge of Overwatch in order to undo them, so we figured, why not send a mole in to identify potential tension, exploit that tension, and then take the aggressor and make him our own? That’s where Roland came in, and he played his role beautifully. We usually prefer our new recruits to be more…intact, but we expect you’ll fit your new role fine nevertheless.”

“I’d never work for you.” Gabriel remained defiant. “You’re terrorist scum!”

The man shook his head and tisked. “See, that’s a misconception your organization has: you think of us as violent terrorists, but there’s so much more to us! The group we work for has magnificent plans for the future of mankind, we want to help the human race progress without boundary and realize its full potential! And we’ll let you be a part of that, if you help us.”

“What makes you think I’d ever help you?” Gabriel said.

“Because we can help _you_ , by letting you take revenge on the man you hate.”

Gabriel sat up at this proposal, thinking about it with renewed interest as his animosity towards his former friend came rushing back. “You help me kill Jack Morrison, and I’ll do whatever you want.”

“We’ll do better than that: we’ll put you in charge of the extermination of every Overwatch agent on the planet. We’ll give you command of your own battalion, consisting of both Talon soldiers and some of your men we rescued and ‘convinced’ to join.” The man said. A Talon soldier then entered the room with a large case. Inside of the case were two new, jet-black shotguns and a white skull mask.

“From now on, you will be known as Reaper, as you are the harbinger of death for our enemies.” Gabriel reached for the mask and placed it over his face, and then examined the guns gleefully.

“Oh, I’m gonna love this job.” He said, holstering the shotguns. “By the way, who are you, exactly?”

“I go by many names: the Enforcer, the Successor, at one time, Doctor...” The man responded, looking Reaper square in the eyes. “You however, you can just call me Doomfist.”


	9. Epilogue

## Epilogue

Upon hearing of the disaster at Switzerland, Winston grieved at the loss of his friends and their headquarters. He had received correspondence from Jack letting him know they were still alive, but nevertheless the heroes were scattered and forced into hiding, and Overwatch as a whole looked doomed. Winston despaired and shut down his computers for the day; he was about to leave the room when one of the monitors he neglected to shut off flashed an emergency, showing that Mei’s life support in her cryostasis chamber was failing.

“Oh no!” Winston said, rushing to the laboratory where she was held. He burst through the doors and was met with a team of terrified scientists, desperately attempting to fix the machine.

“Out of my way!” Winston said, pushing them aside. Using all of his strength and adrenaline, he grabbed the doors and pried them off their very hinges. He pulled a still-unconscious Mei out of the chamber and laid her gently on the ground.

“Mei, Mei! Wake up!” Winston called to her. “Mei, can you hear me?” After a few seconds, the effects of the cryostasis wore off and Dr. Zhou began coughing, and slowly opened her eyes.

“W-Winston?” she said weakly.

“Thank goodness.” He sighed. “Everything’s going to be alright.”

“Winston, it was terrible! The storm, Antarctica, the research team! The-”

“I know.” He interrupted. “I know everything. You’re safe now.”

“What happened since I was asleep? Where are Commander Morrison and Captain Amari? Can I talk to them, tell them I’m okay?” Mei asked. Winston simply sighed at her question. He couldn’t think of an easy way to put it so he decided to be frank with her.

“Mei, there’s something you have to know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you've enjoyed _Birth of the Reaper_. I always wanted to tell my own spin on Overwatch's infamous downfall and finally found my chance when I started my fanfic series. Originally, this was merely going to be a flashback sequence in one of my longer works (as was my previous story, _Junkers to Heroes_ ), but as time went on, more and more details came to mind in both stories that I decided to flesh them out into full works in their own right.
> 
> Now that the story is complete and posted, I will begin writing on my next work, _Now Entering King's Row_ , which will essentially serve as a sequel to _Junkers to Heroes_ , as it will show Junkrat and Roadhog on their first mission with Overwatch after being recruited into the organization. The duo will team up with Winston, Pharah, and Lucio as they try to quell an Omnic uprising in King's Row. Of course, with the Junkers being the Junkers, mayhem is sure to ensue. Unlike _Birth of the Reaper_ , which by its very nature had to be dark, this one will have more of a lighthearted, comedic slant similar to _Junkers to Heroes_ as I find Junkrat and Roadhog to be more comical characters compared to, say, Soldier: 76 or Reaper. 
> 
> After that, I will write a few shorter fics introducing a new Hero of my own creation by the name of Gravitas. He's an attack-type Hero who specializes in anti-gravity and electromagnetic weapons. He will play a large part in my later works and become a fairly central character, as well as serving as a love interest for one of the established female Heroes. Finally, I will write two longer "finale" fics that will serve to wrap up the events of my _Overwatch_ fanon. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy everything I have in store for you. Peace out!


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